Kingdom of Heaven UMD
As a sci-fi fan I have to say that my interest is piqued whenever I see the name Ridley Scott. Alien and Blade Runner played a large part in establishing my interest in sci-fi films. Although these are the films that spring to mind first when his name is mentioned, over his film career he’s tackled a diverse range of subject matter, from Thelma and Louise to Black Hawk Down...
As a sci-fi fan I have to say that my interest is piqued whenever I see the name Ridley Scott. Alien and Blade Runner played a large part in establishing my interest in sci-fi films. Although these are the films that spring to mind first when his name is mentioned, over his film career he’s tackled a diverse range of subject matter, from Thelma and Louise to Black Hawk Down and on to Matchstick Men. With Kingdom of Heaven he returns to the epic historical sword fest that we saw in Gladiator. While in 2000 we marvelled at the application of modern effects in bringing the ancient world alive in an epic scale never before seen in the cinema, in 2005 Troy and Alexander showed us that as well as the special effects, you also need a good script to wow today’s audiences.
The film is set in 1180, 84 years after the first crusade was launched by Pope urban II. Orlando Bloom is Balian, a small village’s blacksmith, mourning the suicide of his wife following the loss of their child. Enter Liam Neeson as Godfrey of Ibelin, Baron and knight, has returned from the crusades to search of his long-lost son, and yes you’ve guessed it, that son turns out to be Balian. Seeing as the local villagers have asked Balian to leave, and believing that by going on the crusades he can save his wife from going to hell for committing suicide, he signs up with Godfrey and his band of warriors and heads off to Jerusalem.
On the way out of France, after stopping to camp for the night, Godfrey takes the opportunity to pass on his warrior teachings to young Balian. It’s here that the pacing of the film goes a bit pear shaped. After one brief sparing session in which all Godfrey seems to pass on is to attack from a high stance, Balian is transformed from a blacksmith to a sword fighting hero (at least in Pirates of the Caribbean it was explained that he practiced with the swords he made!). On the same night as the sparring session, the group have a brush with the law that sees Godfrey wounded and prematurely on his way out of the film. In his screen time Godfrey doesn’t seem to impart any great insights into being a knight or the task that awaits him in Jerusalem and yet Balian quite willingly takes on his father’s quest, which bearing in mind he’s only known him a couple of days is a bit of a leap, and is charged with protecting the truce between Muslims and Christians in Jerusalem, and obeying the leprosy-suffering King Baldwin.
After his arrival in Jerusalem Balian is eagerly accepted by one and all and within what seems like 5 minutes is taking tea with the King and flirting with his married sister. No mention is made of his blacksmith’s background or his inexperience in taking part in a battle, never mind leading an army. The King’s right hand man and staunch defender, Jeremy Iron’s Tiberias treats him immediately as an equal and recruits as one of the Kings loyal defenders. There are three main camps in and around Jerusalem. The King and his supporters have brokered an uneasy peace between the Knights Templar and the Muslim leader Saladin. The Knights Templar are spoiling for a war and try to provoke the Muslims behind the King’s back so that it looks as though the Muslims have broken the peace and the Knights Templar can have their war.
Balian in the meantime has been to the land he inherited from his father and within what seems like 5 minutes of arriving has dug a new well and devised an irrigation system that transforms the place from barren wasteland to a lush eden, this boy has some serious hidden talents! Add to that a developing, but in my view unconvincing, love story between Balian and the Kings sister and you have to say that the boy done well.
If you gloss over the gaping holes in the plot and concentrate more on the action then Ridley delivers. There are some great battle scenes, all of them brought to life with the stunning cinematography we’ve come to expect from Ridley Scott. At one point Balian rides out with his 200 horsemen against a vastly superior force to give the people time to get within the city walls, one second you’re right there with the charging horses and can almost feel the ground shaking with the impact of a thousand hooves. Then you cut to a soaring shot which really shows the enormity of the task for Balian’s men as you see his puny line of cavalry being engulfed by Saladin’s forces. Finally a shot of the two sides clashing together brings home the violence involved in a cavalry charge.
The acting throughout is generally very good thanks to a very strong supporting cast. To give such heavy hitters as Neeson and Irons so little screen time is a bit of a waste, it would’ve been nice to have had their characters developed a bit more, although this would’ve resulted in a much longer film. Orlando doesn’t have a lot to work with and seems to spend the whole film being moody. I can’t remember him cracking a smile throughout the whole film.
As a character based drama (such as Gladiator) it falls a bit flat, but as an historical action film it’s watchable. The story was a bit rushed and there’s not much character exposition for anyone other than Balian, who has a meteoric rise from village blacksmith.
As with most UMDs there are no extras on this disc. The menus are nicely animated although the only options are ‘Play Movie’ and ‘Set Up’. The only options in the set up menu are for the subtitles where you can choose from English for the hearing impaired and various Scandinavian languages. The picture on the PSP is excellent and the sound is very effective, particularly in the battle scenes. With a decent set of headphones it really feels as if there are horses all around you during the cavalry charges. Overall not a bad film, the problem is you go into it expecting characters that you’ll care for like those in Gladiator and it just never happens, just enjoy it for the great battle scenes.
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